Let's continue the look at Whitney Houston's natal chart that we started in the part one, "A glorious voice."
An assessment reveals that Houston's temperament was primarily melancholic. This melancholy is largely due to the Moon and Mercury (Lord of the Geniture). The Moon is in waning trine to the Sun, therefore melancholic by phase. Mercury is occidental, therefore dry, and cold by placement in earth-sign Virgo. The Moon and Mercury, then, are in sync, which speaks to soundness of mind ('wit'). The Moon is in fast fire Aries, so Houston pursues her melancholic ends—'having and holding'—in an active way.
Mercury is the natural significator of the voice, as noted earlier. With Houston's Moon-Jupiter-Mercury conjunct by antiscion, Whitney’s voice is completely integral to both her identity and her career.
Mercury is also Lord 7, strongly placed on the Descendant. My teacher refers to this position as 'border control,' as the Dsc is the gateway between the individual and the world. Mercury here strongly colors Houston's relationships. Mercury is also on the fixed star Zosma, in the constellation Leo. Natives with Leo stars do not like to be told what to do! But Mercury is Lord 7, signifying other people, so this is problematic.
Lord 7 has major dignity, both essential and accidental, and is therefore strong. But who is Lord 7 interested in? Himself.
Venus combust of the Sun repeats this emerging theme of domination by a stronger 'other'. One of the Sun’s roles in a woman’s chart is ‘important male.’ Venus loves the Sun but is harmed by it; the Sun also rules the Moon and Jupiter by exaltation.
Given these challenges, we can see how it was possible for Houston to remain with her husband, Bobby Brown, for 14 years despite a stormy marriage that was detrimental to her and, at times, abusive.
The antiscial conjunction of the Moon, Jupiter, and Mercury also speaks to the control issues Houston had with Clive Davis, the music industry mogul who discovered her in 1982 and would guide her career until the end:
"She was his shining star—his beacon," says the source. "But she had a lot of resentment over not having control over her career and being forced to be somebody she wasn't."*
The stars will repeat themselves when they want to get a point across. A second expression of control issues is the Sun applying to oppose Saturn. This shows direct conflict between the two planets from within their own fixed signs.
It is well known that Houston suffered from drug addiction, stemming back to the mid-90s. Drugs were a key factor in her death last February, ruled an accidental drowning. What, in her chart, speaks to the theme of addiction?
The second house rules, among other things, what goes into the mouth. Houston’s Lord 2 is Mars, in detriment and on Vindemiatrix, a fixed star that inclines one to self-sabotage. This is a major challenge for Houston. Mars is in the Sun's fall while ruling the Moon, Jupiter (Lord Asc), and the Part of Fortune. The latter, in fixed-water Scorpio, signifies strong desires that persist. Saturn, Lord 12, is also conjunct by antiscion.
One point that becomes clear studying Houston's chart is that essentially dignified planets by themselves do not make for an easy time of things. Houston has three of seven planets in sign: the Sun (Leo), Saturn (Aquarius), and Mercury (Virgo). Dignified planets are just as capable of signifying problems as non-dignified ones, especially if the reception between or among them is difficult.
In the next post we’ll take a look at Ms Houston’s progressions and returns for her career breakthrough and her marriage.
*From "Remembering Whitney," People, February 27, 2012, p 51.
First published Nov 2, 2012 on silvestreastrology.blogspot.com
PHOTO CREDIT: By tm_10001, “Whitney Houston in Germany 1999” (Flickr: CC).
